IDG.net: Sun Microsystems Inc. Wednesday shipped two components of its J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) for Linux which together can provide a software platform for consumer and business networked devices, according to the company. The announcement beefs up Sun’s support for embedded systems, an area into which the Linux operating system is moving more aggressively than ever.

Florida Today: “It wasn’t long ago that operating systems trying to compete against Microsoft Corp.’s Windows weren’t given much of a chance.

That’s not the case at this week’s LinuxWorld Conference and Expo, where IBM Corp. led the charge of major technology companies now embracing an operating system whose basic instructions are in the public domain.”

ZDNET.co.uk reports that Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that Windows 95 will become an footnote in terms of sales. “One of Microsoft’s most popular products among both consumers and businesses, the operating system (OS) is still in use at many corporations today.

The licenses that let most computer makers incorporate the OS in new computers expired 31 December 2000. As a result, Dell Computer and other computer makers no longer install the OS on new computers except under special circumstances.”

ZDNET.co.uk: “Borland took the wraps off the Kylix, the first rapid application development (RAD) tool for Linux Wednesday, designed to revolutionise the creation of applications for Linux. ”

BusinessWeek: “One key element in HP’s makeover is the adoption of Linux, the free, open-source operating system (OS) revered by computer programmers and reviled by companies like Microsoft, who have long made most of their money selling proprietary software. This week, HP will announce a plan to unveil Linux versions of key network operations programs commonly used by large corporations to oversee multiple networks. These programs were long considered too complex and mission-critical to be run on Linux. Not anymore. HP’s romance with Linux looks like it’s turning into a long-term commitment.”

LinuxPR announces that a developer version of Zelerate’s e-commerce application suite will be bundled with the enterprise version of the Linux operating system distributed by SuSE Linux.

From TechWeb: Linus Torvalds is not only the leader of the worldwide Linux open source code movement and a full-time employee of Transmeta Corp. He is about to become an author.

ZDNET.co.uk reports: “Divergence is healthy. That is the message from LinuxWorld Expo in New York, where Elizabeth Coolbaugh, executive editor for LWN.net (Linux Weekly News), predicts this diversity will produce an explosion of Linux in embedded devices such as handheld computers. ”

Anonymous Reader writes “MP3.com announced financials for the last quarter that were three times better than Wall Street expected. The company’s stock price should reflect that today as MP3.com looks to make a profit this year. The press release is at mp3newswire.“

From the esteemed BBC: “As a teenager, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates enjoyed reading about
the exploits of the French military genius Napoleon.

It is then perhaps more than a little ironic that the judge in the US
vs Microsoft trial has accused Mr Gates of acting like the man with
whom he had a youthful fascination.”